The end of the world with you.

Idiotic charade

Emma slowly raised the tumbler to her lips, savouring the last remnants of the thick liquid down whilst she waited for Regina to return. Henry's soft call had reached her from the top of the stairs, and she had abandoned her chair with a brief, "Please excuse me," before tending to the small boy.

It was only when Emma placed her glass on the coaster, neatly set on the wooden table, and leaned back into the loveseat when she realised how exhausted she was. Glancing up at the grandfather clock, she was surprised to find that somehow, it was already nearing midnight.

Emma had experienced later hours, but after days filled with adrenaline, exhaustion caught up with her. Stifling a yawn, she stretched out her legs in front of her, finally allowing her body to relax and sink into the Mayor's sofa which, god, Emma couldn't recall ever sitting on a couch this cozy before.

***

She didn't realise her eyes had closed until the sound of distant sound of glasses quietly clinking snapped her awake. She sat bolt upright, disorientated, and glanced at the grandfather clock again, realising she had unintentionally dozed off for almost an hour.

Footsteps approached the living room, and Regina emerged in the doorway. She paused, taking a moment to register that Emma was awake.

She offered the blonde an apologetic look. "I didn't mean to wake you. I just wanted to clear the glasses before I went to bed."

Emma stifled a yawn, perching herself on the edge of the sofa. "No, it's fine. I honestly don't even remember falling asleep," She admitted, "Is the kid okay?"

She tilted her head, like she couldn't understand why Emma would ask that, and then nodded, "Just a nightmare. Sorry I was gone so long. It took him a while to fall back to sleep."

She smiled, "No, really, you're good."

Regina regarded the blonde, and then took a step towards the doorway, pointing her thumb in the direction of the stairway. "Shall we?"

Emma wordlessly nodded, trailing behind a Regina up the rounded stairway. After exchanging a brief goodnight, Emma quietly entered the guest bedroom, and slid under the thick duvet. Emma might have let out a moan of satisfaction as her body sank into the memory foam mattress if Regina's room wasn't next door.

***

Waking up the following morning, the first thing Emma noticed was the vacant space on the other side of the bed, and the gentle glow of sunlight filtering through the blinds, casting warm lines across the bedroom. The hushed voices just outside Emma's door caught her attention, and as she strained to listen, she could discern the soft words exchanged between Henry and Regina.

"She's still sleeping, ....heart, ..... her rest."

Was everyone awake? Emma wondered what time it was as she pushed the covers back and dragged herself out of bed.  Following the source of the noise, she approached the door and heard the quiet resistance from the small boy. Out of pure curiosity, she opened the door to find Regina bent down in front of her son, who wore a pout. They both jumped, and spun to find Emma standing in the doorway looking.. well, she must of looked homeless because that's how she felt.

"You're finally awake!" Henry exclaimed, bouncing on his feet like a ball of energy.

"Oh, I apologise for disturbing you, Emma. Henry wanted to show you his comic book, apparently."

Henry has changed out of his pyjamas, now sporting a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Regina was - well, she definitely was not wearing the clothes that Emma had provided her and was instead dressed in full mayor glory consisting of black slacks paired with a beige silk shirt, unbuttoned at the top and Emma had to resist the temptation to look at the black lace peeking out from underneath.